Rod cleaning apparatus



March 11, 1952 G, P 2,588,758

ROD CLEANING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 27, 1947 mm .m 25 v I j] 12 5% f ,uVVE/VTOQ Arroe/vsv.

Patented Mar. 11, 1952 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE ROD CLEANING APPARATUS Guy H. Pilj, Los Angeles, Calif. Application October 27, 1947, Serial No. 782,439

3 Claims. 1

My invention relates generally to apparatus for wire brushing, grinding, or buffing the exterior surfaces of rods and tubing, and more particularly to a device of this sort which is adaptable to clean the tie rods used in securing concrete forms during the filling thereof in building operations. My invention takes the form of an attachment to be used in connection with conventional portable rotary grinders, wire brushes and the like. Heretofore, it has been the practice when cleaning rods or tubes by the use of rotary brushes, for an operator to hold the rods against the periphery of a rotating wire brush, and as the brush operates against the surface of the rod. to reciprocate the latter longitudinally, while at the same time rotating it slowly until all surfaces have been cleaned. Such a procedure is laborious and time-consuming and furthermore does not always reach all surfaces of the rod being cleaned.

M One phase of industrial activity wherein my invention finds particular application is that of concrete building construction. It is the practice when erecting concrete walls to place transverse tie rods in the forms at intervals to prevent bulging of said forms when they are filled with wet concrete. After the concrete has set, the tie rods are removed, cleaned, and re-used on other forms. In a large building many hundreds of tie rods of the class just described may be employed, and it is obvious that the individual handcleaning of each and every tie rod between successive uses becomes a lar e item of the labor involved in erecting concrete structures.

Accordingly, it is a major object of my invention to provide a device to be used in conjunction with a power-driven wire brush into which rods may be fed for cleaning by said brush and in which no manual manipulation of the rods is necessary during the operation of brushing the same.

It is another object of my invention to provide an attachment of the class described which may be used with various sizes and lengths of rod without modification or adjustment.

It is a further object of my invention to provide an attachment of the class described which derives the power necessary to feed the rod through the apparatus from frictional contact with the rotatin brush or buffing wheel with which it is used.

It is a still further object of my invention to provide a device of the class described in which the rate of speed of the rod being cleaned may be easily and quickly adjusted.

:Yet another object of my invention is to provide an attachment of the class described which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and may be used with conventional rotary power tools without substantial modification thereof.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from consideration of the following detailed description of-two forms of a rod cleaning attachment embodying my invention, such consideration being taken in connection with the attached drawings in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of one form of rod cleaning device embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the device shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an elevational partially sectioned view taken on the line 33 in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a partially sectioned front elevational view of a modified form of rod cleaning device embodying my invention; and,

Figure 5 is a partially sectioned elevational View taken on the line 5-5 in Figure 4. v

Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly Figures 1 through 3 thereof, it will be seen that one form of the attachment embodying my invention has been designated by the reference character it. The main parts comprising the attachment are a supporting angle ll mounted on a cylindrical shank l2 and a tubular bearing member I3 secured to the supporting angle I I by means of a pair of threaded studs 54 and I6 and nuts l5 and H threaded thereon. As indicated in Figure 2, the supporting studs l4 and i6 pass through two apertures 24 and 25 in the upright flange of the supporting angle ll. One of the apertures 24 is circular and a relatively close fit with one of the supporting studs M. Thus the aperture 2 forms a center about which the bearing member 53 may be pivoted for tilting adjustment, as will now be described. The other of the apertures 25 is arcuate in shape whereby the stud I6 passing therethrough may move in an arcuate path about the pivotal stud M as its center.

Thus it will be seen that by loosening the attachment nuts l5 and ii, the bearing member i3 may be adjusted to a desired angular position with respect to the supporting angle H and by tightening the nuts l5 and ll, clamped in such position. A possible position of angular adjustment of the bearing member i3 is indicated in phantom line in Figure 2. The purpose of this angular disposition of the bearing member will be stated in the description later herein.

In Figure 3 the rod cleaning attachment l8 is shown mounted adjacent a power driven rotary wire brush 2|. The attachment I is secured in operating position adjacent the brush 2| by inserting the cylindrical shank I2 in the collar 28 of a support arm 21 of conventional design such as is usually provided on rotary grinders and wire brushes of the class described. Having inserted the shank I2 in the collar 28, it is secured therein by a, set screw 29, the relative position of the shank I2 in the collar'28 being so adjusted that the axis of the bearing member I3 is substantially the same height as the axis of the rotary brush 2|.

As can be clearly seen in Figure l, the central portion of the bearing member 13 is cut away as indicated by the character 22 to receive the periphery of the rotary brush 2i. Thus a rod 20 to be cleaned by the apparatus when inserted through the bearing member I3 as indicated in phantom line in Figure 1, is tangentially contacted by the periphery of the wire brush 2| as shown in'Figure 3.

As indicated by the rotation-indicating arrows in Figure 3, anti-clockwise rotation of the brush 2! causes clockwise rotation of therod 20 which is being cleaned. In addition to the rotation of the rod 28, however, it is necessaryfor complete cleaning of the surface that the rod proceed longitudinally through the bearing member l3.

To achieve this longitudinal feed, the bearing a member I3 is tilted somewhat as shown in Figure 2, thus causing the force exerted by the peripheral contact of the brush 2i to have a longitudinal component.

This component is indicated by a vector diagram placed on Figure 2. In the vector diagram the force indicated by the arrow a is that exerted by the rotating brush 2 I. The resultant of this force which tends to cause rotation of the rod 29 is indicated. by the vector arrow 12. An additional force component 0 is therefore exerted along the axis of the rod 20. By proper adjustment of the bearing member I3, the. desired relation between rotation and longitudinal feed of the rod.20 can be achieved.

It will be noted that ii the grinder carrying the wheel 2|, and'hence the mountingangle ii, are horizontal, the force of gravity will assist in moving the rod 20 through the tilted holder I3. If this is undesirable, however, the .base of the motor carrying the brush 2i mayv be tilted somewhat in a direction opposite to, and. an amount equal to the angle of the bearing member I3 with respect to the mounting angle Ii, thus to place the bearing member in asubstantially horizontal position. It will be noted that in such position the feedof the rod 20 through the bearing member I3 is dependent entirely upon the component c of the force produced by the rotation brush 2!. y

In some instances, particularly in those where the material being cleaned from the rod 20 is abrasive, there is a tendency for the inner surfaces of the bearing member l3 to become worn due to the abrasive action of. the rod rotating therein. Such is true, for example, in the cleaning of tie rods that have been used in concrete forms, as previously described. Such abrasive wearing can, of course, be greatly minimized by eliminating the relative rotation of the rod. and the inner surfaces of the bearing member I3. In Figures 4 and I have shown a modification designed to reduce the aforesaid wear.

From an examination of Figures 4 and 5 it will be seen that the supporting angle II, the

shank I2 and the support bolts I4 and I6 are the same as in the previous embodiment. The modification consists in placing a ball bearing 38 in each end of a modified bearing member I I3. The bearing member H3 is considerably larger in diameter than the previous member I3 and is formed with shouldered openings 32 to receive the bearings 30. In order to prevent deterioration of the ball bearings 30 they are of the type provided with' seals 3i which exclude dust and other abrasive materials from the ball races.

' In all other respects the modified form illustrated in Figures 4 and 5 is identical in construction and operation to the previous embodiment. In Figure 4 the forward end of the rod 20 is shown as being inserted in the left-hand end of the device.

I have found by experience that the amount of tilt necessary to efiectively feed rods or tubing through the devices embodying my invention is relatively slight. Whenit is necessaryin order to thoroughly clean a cylindrical object, that the brush 2! pass repeatedly overthe same surface, the amount of tilt of the bearing member 43 (or H3) is made very slight. The result of this is that the component 0 is quite small in comparison to the componen'tb with"the further result that the rate of rotation of'the rodZil is relatively fast compared to the rate'foi longitudinal feed. In such cases the brush makes repeated contact with the surface as" it proceeds slowly in an axial direction.

While the attachment embodying my invention has been described herein as used in connection with a wire brush 2i, it is obvious that it is applicable with equal efiicacy to buiiing, sanding, grinding, cutting and similar operations performed on cylindrical work pieces with rotary power tools. Additionally, it'will be seen that the attachment'may be used in connection with a belt sander by causing the belt to pass tangentially through the opening 22 of the bearing member I3.

While the attachments shown and described herein are fully capable of achievingthe objects and providing the advantages hereinbef'ore stated, it is obvious that they may be modified considerably by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. For this reason I do not mean to be limitedjto the form shown and described herein, but rather to the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A rod cleaning attachment for a Power driven rotary brush unit comprising in combination: an angular support member having a face thereof positioned adjacent the periphery ofjsa'id rotary brush and having a substantially vertical cylindrical ,shank. adapted to be, adjustblysecured to the base ,of said rotary brush unit; a

tubular bearing. member secured to said brush adjacent face, said tubular member being substantially one-halfc'utaway adjacent a center portion. thereof whereby to permit said brush to contact a substantial peripheral portion ofa rod positioned in said bearing member; a pivot'secured to said bearingmember substantiallydiametrically opposite said cut away portion and projecting through said support member whereby to adapt said tubular member for tilting motion with respect to the axisiof said brush; and a clamping bolt secured to said tubular memberfat a point spaced from said pivot, projecting through an arcuate slot in said brush adjacent faceand 5 having means thereon to clamp said tubular member in a tilted position thereof with respect to said brush axis whereby to impart rotational and longitudinal motion to a rod positioned in said bearing member.

2. The attachment set forth in claim 1 further characterized by having ball bearings secured in said tubular member adjacent the ends thereof whereby to permit relatively free rotation of a rod therein while frictionally retarding longitudinal motion of said rod.

3. A rod cleaning machine comprising in combination: a powered rotary wire brush, a supporting member secured adjacent the periphery of said brush and having a face substantially at right angles to the plane of rotation of said brush; a journal member comprising a tube having a cylindrical bore therethrough to receive a rod to be cleaned extending therethrough, one side of said tube being cut away in a center portion thereof, said cut away portion extending to a plane through the axis of said bore whereby to form an opening exposing one-half the periphery of said rod while end portions of said tube surround said rod, said tube having a longitudinal fiat formed thereon diametrically opposite said opening, pivotal means mounting said journal member for tilting movement with said 6 fiat against said face whereby to receive said brush in said opening to contact said exposed peripheral portion of a rod in said journal member; means to clamp said journal member in an adjusted angular position against said face whereby the reaction of said brush against said rod, rotates and advances the same through said journal member; and ball bearings secured in the ends of said journal member whereby to permit relatively free rotation of a rod therein while frictionally retarding longitudinal motion of said rod.

GUY H. PILJ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 17,311 Swanson May 28, 1929 223,722 Erk Jan. 20, 1880 642,452 Hull Jan'. 30, 1900 747,542 Eveland Dec. 22, 1903 1,106,803 Grant Aug. 11, 1914 1,891,331 Lord Dec. 20, 1932 2,021,421 Mason Nov. 19, 1935 

